“Based on Oswald’s possession of the murder weapon a short time after the murder and the eyewitness identifications of Oswald as the gunman, the committee concluded that Oswald shot and killed Tippit.” – The House Select Committee on Assassinations
J. D. Tippit was born near the town of Annona, Texas, to Lizzie Mae “May Bug” (Rush) and Edgar Lee Tippit. Both the Tippit and Rush families had immigrated from England to Virginia in the 1600s. Tippit’s name was J. D. The letters did not stand for anything.
Edgar and Lizzie Tippit lived on Box Elder Road in Red River, Texas according to the 1930 census. They had three children, J.D., Christine, and Donald. The family eventually had 7 children. Edgar, as was everyone else on the page, was a farmer. Everybody on the page was from the American South, except one neighbor woman who was a German immigrant.
The residents on this page were approximately (using the terms listed on the census page), 50% W (White) and 50% Neg (Negro). This is the first census page I’ve seen with any level of diversity while doing this project. Other categories available in column 12 (Race) of the 1930 census were:
- Mex- Mexican
- In- Indian
- Ch-Chinese
- Jp-Japanese
- Fil-Filipino
- Hin-Hindu
- Kor-Korean
- Other (with a note to spell out in full)
Later Life
Tippit joined the Army in 1944 as a paratrooper. He participated in Operation Varsity, the airborne crossing of the Rhine, and earned a Bronze Star. After the Army, he tried several occupations, including farming, until he joined the Dallas police force in 1952, where he was cited twice for bravery.
On November 22, 1963, he was patrolling the Oak Cliff section of Dallas when he received a radio call with the description of a suspect in the shooting of President John F. Kennedy, which had just occurred in the city. Tippit spotted a man walking who matched the description, pulled him over and spoke to him through a vent window. Tippit exited the car, and the man (Lee Harvey Oswald) fired five shots from a handgun, hitting Tippit three times in the chest and once in the head, killing him. There were at least 12 witnesses to the shooting, one of whom led the police to their well-known capture of Oswald in the Texas Theatre.
The story of Oswald’s capture, arrest, and killing is well known. Both the Warren Commission and House Committee agreed that Oswald had killed Tippit.
Tippit was survived by his widow, Marie, and three children. On the evening of the assassination, both President Lyndon B. Johnson and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy called Marie to express their sympathies. Kennedy’s widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, wrote to Marie expressing sorrow for the bond they shared. The public raised $647,579 (equivalent to $6,190,015 in 2022) for the family.
Tippit was posthumously awarded:
- The Medal of Valor from the American Police Hall of Fame
- The Police Medal of Honor
- The Police Cross
- The Citizens Traffic Commission Award of Heroism
Since everyone alive on November 22, 1963, seems to be named in at least one assassination conspiracy, Tippit in one conspiracy was considered to be part of the plot with an assignment to kill Oswald, and in others, killed by someone other than Oswald.
Other happenings on September 18, 1924:
- Mahatma Gandhi began a twenty-one day fast of despair over the recent riots between Hindus and Muslims.
- Born: Neville Chittick, British archaeologist (d. 1984)
Tomorrow – A caretaker Governor
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Sources
- Wikipedia.org
- Ancestry.com
- Onthisday.com
- Picryl.com
- Youtube.com
Famous People and Their First Census 